Pala crash results in major injuries

NORTH COUNTY  A motorist was jailed on suspicion of being under the influence of drugs when he struck a motorcycle Saturday afternoon near Pala, critically injuring the two riders.

A spokesman for the California Highway Patrol said Michael Inglett, 36, was driving a Dodge Ram pickup east on state Route 76, near Couser Canyon Road, when he drifted into the oncoming lane and collided with the motorcycle.

The 51-year-old San Diego man steering the motorcycle had to have his leg amputated at Palomar Medical Center due to the crash. His passenger, a 47-year-old La Mesa woman, also sustained life-threatening injuries and was hospitalized.

CHP spokesman Jim Bettencourt said Inglett was driving between 65 and 85 mph at the time of the crash. He was arrested on suspicion of felony driving under the influence of drugs.